Coronavirus cases in Nigeria near 39,000

ANKARA (AA) - Nigeria has reported 604 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus, with 20 more deaths over the past 24 hours.

The death toll in the country has reached 833, while the total number of cases climbed to 38,948, according to latest figures by health authorities.

As of Thursday, as many as 16,061 patients have recovered and been discharged from health facilities, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said.

The commercial capital Lagos, Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) and southwestern Oyo state are the hardest-hit regions by the coronavirus.

Since first appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 188 countries and regions.

The pandemic has killed more than 633,600 people worldwide, with over 15.51 million confirmed cases and more than 8.82 million recoveries, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University.